A life-size crochet Spitfire has landed outside The Atkinson in the Town Hall Gardens on Lord Street. The tribute is dedicated to the Polish Airmen who flew from RAF Woodvale during World War II and marks 80 years since the end the war. The crochet design includes a red and white Polish emblem on the fuselage and black and white striped markings which were painted on Allied aircraft when the D-Day landings took place.
The Spitfire has been meticulously created by local community groups coming together with passion and pride. Led by the Southport Branch of The Royal British Legion and Merseyside Polonia, Southport Hookers have painstakingly crocheted a series of square panels that are overlaid on a lightweight wooden frame built by Bootle’s Men in Sheds Association.
RAF Woodvale opened on 25 October 1941 as a fighter base to defend Liverpool during the Blitz. The first to arrive was 308 Krakowski Squadron, followed by 315 Deblinski and 317 Wilenski Squadrons. During the war, 145 Polish airmen served in the RAF during the Battle of Britain, and by its end, around 19,400 Poles served in the Polish Air Force and RAF. RAF Woodvale later hosted rest periods for squadrons and over 2,000 personnel. Twenty-two pilots, including nine Poles, lost their lives there; six are buried in Formby. Today, memorials and community art in Southport honour their service and legacy.
The sculpture will form part of The British Legion’s legacy ‘Community Spitfire Project’, which will be taken into schools and youth groups across Sefton and the North West. The STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are at the heart of the Spitfire’s design. The educational programme uses the Spitfire as a focal point in cross curricular activity, designed to be informative, interactive and fun.
The crochet Spitfire is on display in the Town Hall Gardens 18 October – 7 November 2025.
For further information please contact the Southport Branch of The Royal British Legion.